Free Republic

Father, Son Accused Of Exporting Weapons To Iraqi Government SAN DIEGO -- A father and son from San Diego are being charged with brokering a deal to illegally provide Iraq with armored patrol boats shortly before the U.S.-led war began. The arrests are the first by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents charged with tracing Saddam Hussein's sources for weapons. Authorities said Sabri Yakou was arrested at Reagan National Airport near Washington Tuesday. He appeared before a federal magistrate Wednesday on charges of violating U.S. arms-control laws. Regard Yakou -- a naturalized U.S. citizen -- was arrested Saturday in Baghdad....

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 — American officials in Baghdad have identified at least 30 businesses and individuals in the United States that investigators said they suspect sold tens of millions of dollars in military technology to Iraq before the war. Atop the list of suspects identified in the wide-ranging investigation is a father-and-son team from San Diego charged Wednesday with selling gun boats to Saddam Hussein's government. Officials said they believed that the two San Diego businessmen, both of Iraqi descent, delivered and helped to assemble three 85-foot-long patrol boats, armed with machine guns, as part of an $11 million contract...